In what has been a tough year for the city of Whitefish in the courtroom, a recent Montana Supreme Court ruling in the city’s favor is a welcome reprieve. Justice Jim Rice overturned a 2005 Flathead County District Court decision that ordered the city of Whitefish to pay $161,000 for a piece of condemned property […]

POLSON – A group of citizens opposed to Lake County’s density map is trying to gather enough signatures for a November ballot measure to rescind it. The density map was approved by county commissioners in August 2005. Its purpose is to help concentrate development where services are already available. Another stated goal of the density […]

HELENA – Developers of a four-seasons resort proposed for private and federal land just south of Missoula say they have given the U.S. Forest Service a revised plan intended to address agency concerns about wildlife, soil and scenery. Bitterroot Resort would use Forest Service land for alpine skiing accessible by snowcoach, for Nordic skiing and […]

POLSON –The Montana Highway Patrol says an 18-year-old Ronan woman has died after a one-vehicle rollover south of Polson. The crash happened about 5:30 p.m. Monday. Montana Highway Patrol trooper Terry Rosenbaum says a group of four friends were coming back from a lake on a rough, dirt road in Sanders County. The driver hit […]

5:55 a.m. Someone called in to report an ominous light near Siskin Trail. The light, according to the caller, was alternating between dim and bright. Upon investigation deputies could find nothing out of the ordinary. 6:08 a.m. A gas cap was broken and gas was stolen from a vehicle on Plum Creek property. 8:33 a.m. […]

HELENA – A new audit finds fault with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s work in the state Superfund program, which manages environmental cleanup. The department lacks money for adequate remediation at places that may pose a significant threat to human health or the environment, according to the audit, which cited groundwater pollution at some […]

A plan to allow tourists to carry loaded guns in national parks is on hold, with the public comment period extended through Aug. 8. The plan would remove the current rule, which says guns are allowed, but must be properly stowed. In its place would be a wide range of rules, with each national park […]

The 135-acre Flathead County landfill, near Kalispell, has been collecting methane gas produced by decaying garbage and burning it, to prevent the greenhouse gas from escaping into the atmosphere. By next year, the gas will be used to drive a 1.6-megawatt generator hooked up to the Flathead Electric Co-op’s distribution system. The generator will produce […]

Two Marion men were arrested on suspicion of hate-crime charges after an attack on a migrant worker camp. The migrants are of Asian descent, while those arrested are white. The two men, ages 25 and 26, were arrested Saturday night on suspicion of malicious intimidation or harassment relating to civil rights. Deputies said two men […]

Good morning, today is the anniversary of the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. On the Beacon this morning, the Flathead Electric Co-op is going to harness the power of methane gas emanating from the county landfill to produce electricity. Two Marion men were arrested for harassing and racially intimidating a group of Asian […]

The Columbia Falls Swim Team trekked to Cut Bank this past weekend and brought home second place hardware, finishing about 140 points behind Shelby. As has become habit since late last season, C-Falls’ Erik Anderson set a pool record for the 100 butterfly. The team travels to Shelby this weekend, the final invitational meet before […]

For its first full-blown theatrical production, the new Whitefish Performing Arts Center stage already has a new look. Gone are the red and black stage curtains. Enter steel. Alpine Theatre Project’s first production of the summer resurrects a “City of Steel” on stage. “The Full Monty” musical brings to the stage a downtrodden factory town […]

Each year through grade school and high school, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue would arrive in my mailbox – a shameless filler-issue (not to mention ad-sales vehicle) during a month when sporting events are notoriously slow. I had more fun keeping the magazine away from my younger brother than actually reading it myself. One year, […]

12:06 a.m. A man with a yellow mohawk was seen fleeing on his skateboard after he reportedly kicked a car in a parking lot near Highway 35. 12:16 a.m. Three males in a green truck were reportedly chasing another vehicle. Some time later, three males were taken into custody near a Bigfork bar. 12:18 a.m. […]

Two Marion men face hate-crime charges after a weekend attack on migrant workers, Flathead County prosecutors said. The migrants are of Asian descent, while those arrested are white. Daniel J. Devine, 25, and Edwards L. Hubbs, 26, were arrested Saturday night on suspicion of malicious intimidation or harassment relating to civil or human rights. Charges […]